New mom

Hello...I'm a new mom. Malena is three weeks old and I've just joined La Leche. I've been reading your posts and learning a lot from all of you. Thank you!
Malena and I are learning as we go. I feel that her latch is fairly good and she's gained her birth weight and has tons of wet diapers a day.
Although there're issues I'm still trying to figure out...
My main question right now is if I should start pumping soon...? I was told I should give her a bottle a day starting now otherwise she'll reject it later.
Also, I want to start building a 'stock' of milk for when I go back to work. I have no idea how to go about pumping (when, how often, or how much)
I appreciate your advice and support.
Fany

Re: New mom

Welcome!

When do you have to return to work?

Most moms are counseled to wait 4-6 weeks before introducing a bottle, enabling baby to really master breastfeeding before being introduced to an artificial nipple. So I would wait at least one more week. Then I would start giving a bottle every day or every other day, because bottle rejection can be a problem. A rare one, though!

Have someone other than you offer the bottle. Most babies are reluctant to take a bottle from mom, because they know mom has the real thing under her shirt! Be patient- it can take time and patience and experimenting with different bottles and nipples before you can get a baby to take a bottle.

Most moms who work start by pumping just once a day, usually in the morning after the baby's first feeding. So I would try that and see how much you get. If the milk is abundant, you will be well on your way to having a stash in the freezer. If you don't get a lot, you may need to pump a little more often than once per day. Just remember that you probably don't have to go crazy trying to build your stash, since you'll be bringin fresh milk home from work every day, and may not need to dip into your stash that often!

Re: New mom

Hi, Welcome and congrats! Your question is a common one, so I decided to do some quick research. I found that the admonishment that bottles must be given prior to one month is not supported by the research, according to the lactation text Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple. (2010) The only relevant study is limited, (and 20 years old) but it showed similar rates of baby taking a bottle happily at one month, at two months and at 3 months and beyond. Yes there was a small but clear increase between one and two months of the % of babies who out and out refused a bottle, and that is probably where this ‘bottle before a month’ recommendation comes from. But if so, that data is being taken out of context. The study also showed that no matter when the bottle was introduced, about 70% of babies took the bottle “happily”, and most of the others ‘resisted’ but did not refuse. In other words, out and out bottle refusal was rare but when it happened, it happened with some babies no matter when the bottle was introduced. Of course, I have no idea how the researchers gauged ‘happily’ or ‘resisted’ and even out and out refusal may have only been for a short time.

This does not mean to not introduce the bottle before your first day of work, of course. Many mothers feel more comfortable returning to work knowing bottles will be no problem. On the other hand if your baby is going to be one to resist bottles, the bottle battle will happen sometime, either before your return to work or after. There are costs and benefits to both scenarios, if you think about it.

As far as how much you need to stash in the freezer, that will also depend on your own comfort level. You could plan to go back to work with as little as one days worth of milk to leave your caregiver, or as much as a months worth in the freezer. Probably you will feel most comfortable with something in between those!

The thing to remember is that pumping and bottles have the potential to cause breastfeeding issues whenever they are introduced. As long as breastfeeding is pretty much trouble free (no nipple pain, no breast refusal, baby gaining well ebf, mom feeling reasonably confident) there is probably no problem in gradually introducing pumping and gently and gradually introducing the bottle in anticipation of returning to work starting now, if you like. On the other hand, it does mean more work for you and it may not be needed.

Always remember- how much milk you pump per session, esp. at first or when you are nursing all day as well, will probably be a small amount-1/2 ounce is not uncommon-and is not an accurate indicator of milk production.
type of pump and age of pump will likely make a difference in output and your comfort when pumping
Some babies this age will drink a bottle even if full
Some babies will ‘resist’ the bottle simply because they are not hungry, but a hungry baby may have trouble having patience with a new skill
‘Cue feeding’ is for bottle feedings as well as breast. see http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...astfedbaby.pdf